Sports injuries can affect each player in a different way. For some players it may be easy to bounce back from an injury. For others it may be hard to bounce back from that very same injury. When trying to speed the process of healing up there are several things to keep in mind regardless of how severe the injury is. By following a proven plan of recovery you will be able to cut down the amount of time that an injury affects your performance.
Instructions
1. Rest, ice, compress, and elevate your injury immediately after it occurs. This method is known as R.I.C.E. and it has been proven to significantly reduce the recovery time for a sports injury if used immediately. The R.I.C.E. method should be applied for 72-hours after the time of the injury.
2. Apply heat and massage to the injured area after the initial 72-hours have passed. After the heat and massage treatment, do some light, gentle static and passive stretching in the area of the injury in order to speed up recovery time. According to the stretching institute, static stretching is putting the body into a position where the muscle is stretched under tension. Passive stretching is similar to static with the exception that another person is used to assist in the stretching.
3. Perform Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching in the area of the injury. PNF stretching is advanced stretching where a person contracts the muscles in the area of an injury while a partner applies resistance to prevent movement. This will help strengthen and loosen the muscles up in an effort to help them recover faster. The stretching institute states that you must complete this phase in order to make a permanent and full recovery from injury and that the injury will only disappear after the damaged area is stretched and strengthened.
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